Cap-Haïtien International Airport

There is one small terminal with a single departure hall and a handful of check-in counters shared by all airlines. Check-in opens three hours before departure and closes 60 minutes before; the counters process a full A320 slowly because every checked bag is weighed, tagged and hand-inspected. After check-in you pay nothing further: Haiti's departure taxes are built into the ticket. Security is a single lane with an X-ray belt and a body scanner; then a departure lounge with basic seating, a snack bar and duty free with rum and coffee. There are no jet bridges; you walk to the aircraft. Air conditioning in the lounge is uneven, so dress for heat.

On arrival you walk from the aircraft to the terminal and fill in the green immigration card if you did not get one on the plane; keep the stub, you hand it back when you leave. Immigration has separate lines for Haitian nationals and foreigners, and a US passport with Haitian roots goes in the foreign line. Foreign visitors pay a $10 tourist fee at a dedicated desk (US dollars, exact change helps). Bags come out on a single carousel; porters in numbered vests will grab your bags, and $2 to $5 per bag is the going rate. Customs is a hand check of anything that looks commercial: multiple new phones, boxes of goods and large quantities of medicine draw questions and sometimes duty. Total time from landing to the curb is 30 to 60 minutes on a normal day, longer when two flights land together.

The city is 10 to 20 minutes away by road. Taxis and moto-taxis wait outside the terminal; agree the price before you get in (around $10 to $15 to central Cap-Haïtien in a car, less by moto). Jetvala works with vetted local drivers who meet you at arrivals with your name, drive an air-conditioned SUV or minibus, and can be booked as an add-on at checkout or on WhatsApp. Milot and the Citadelle are 40 to 60 minutes south; Limbé is about an hour west; Labadee and Cormier beach are 30 to 45 minutes northwest. Ouanaminthe and the Dominican border at Dajabón are two to three hours east on Route Nationale 6, a road that is generally passable but should be driven in daylight with a driver who knows it. Overland travel to Port-au-Prince is not something we recommend in 2026; see our ground travel guide for the full picture.

Arrive three hours before departure, not two. Weigh bags at home: Sunrise refuses anything over 32 kg and American charges heavily over 50 lb. Carry some small US bills for porters and the tourist fee. Digicel and Natcom SIM cards are sold just outside arrivals; a data plan for a week costs a few dollars. The airport has no ATM you should rely on, so bring cash. Flights to the US are often full on Sunday and Monday; if your return is flexible, mid-week seats are cheaper and calmer.